Awards

Ian Cole Awards

Stanley Cup

Season

Team

2015-2016

Pittsburgh Penguins

2016-2017

Pittsburgh Penguins

Bio

Ian Cole Bio

A product of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, Cole has made his mark in the NHL.

Cole was the No. 18 selection by the St. Louis Blues in the 2007 NHL Draft after completing his second season with the national team program. He headed straight to college as a true freshman at Notre Dame and went on to become the highest-drafted hockey player in school history.

A product of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, Cole has made his mark in the NHL.

Cole was the No. 18 selection by the St. Louis Blues in the 2007 NHL Draft after completing his second season with the national team program. He headed straight to college as a true freshman at Notre Dame and went on to become the highest-drafted hockey player in school history.

As a freshman he led Notre Dame defensemen with eight goals, helping to lead the Fighting Irish to the 2008 Frozen Four championship game.

Before playing in the NHL, the native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, represented Team USA three times, winning a silver medal at the World Under-18 Championship in 2007 before appearing in the World Junior Championship in 2008 and 2009.

After his junior year with Notre Dame, Cole turned pro and signed with the Blues. He appeared in nine games with Peoria in the American Hockey League in 2010 before making his NHL debut on Nov. 6 of that year.

Cole split time between St. Louis and Peoria for three seasons before finding a regular role with the Blues to start the 2014-15 season. But after 167 games and five with St. Louis, Cole was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 2, 2015.

Cole saw his ice time increase following the trade and settled into a stay-at-home, penalty-kill role with the Penguins. Though Cole is not known for offense, the first playoff goal of his NHL career proved important; he opened the scoring in Pittsburgh's 3-1 victory in Game 4 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, a series the Penguins would win in six games.

Cole had nine assists in 25 playoff games in 2017 when the Penguins won a second straight Cup.